India’s Power Demand Is Surging, but some Solar Energy Is Going to Waste
Government data and Ember research said unused solar electricity could have powered about 10 million homes as heat lifted demand.
- In the last 15 months, India curtailed nearly 11 terawatt-hours of solar generation, enough electricity to power about 10 million homes, even as extreme heat and poor monsoon rains drove up demand for power.
- India possesses more than 300 gigawatts of clean power capacity, yet research by energy think tank Ember found the country achieved only about 80% of its annual transmission construction targets over the past five years.
- The western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan account for nearly 50% of India's solar capacity, creating concentrated grid pressure; coal units cannot ramp down quickly when solar generation surges in the afternoon.
- Vinay Pabba, CEO of Hyderabad-based renewable energy company Vibrant Energy, said making thermal power plants flexible "is like asking an elephant to dance," noting curtailment results in losses for clean power developers.
- Policymakers expect India's storage needs to reach about 74 gigawatts by 2032, and research from the University of California, Berkeley found battery-backed renewable power can provide reliable electricity cheaper than new coal-fired plants.
15 Articles
15 Articles
India's power demand is surging, but some solar energy is going t
FILE - Workers walk through a swamp to install electric transmission towers for the Adani Renewable Energy Park near Khavda, Bhuj district, near the India-Pakistan border in the western state of Gujarat, India, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
Associated Press News
India’s power demand is surging, but some solar energy is going to waste
As extreme heat and poor monsoon rains result in more demand for power in India for cooling and pumping out groundwater for agriculture, India is managing to meet its power needs.
India’s Coal Power Growth Slows as Renewables Surge
India’s coal-fired power generation growth slowed in August as renewable electricity production surged, according to data from Grid-India. Overall electricity generation rose 11.6% year-on-year to 180 billion kilowatt-hours as an extended heatwave and below-average rainfall increased demand for cooling while reducing hydropower output. Renewable power generation, including solar, wind and small hydropower, jumped 42.1% from […]
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